Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) has announced it is fully behind the UK government’s plan to license e-cigarettes and other NCPs as medicines, according to a company press release.

The UK has become the first country in the world to pave the way for the medical licensing of e-cigarettes via prescription, a plan PMI fully supports.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, had said that plans to make e-cigarettes and other cigarette alternative available on the NHS would “tackle the stark disparities in smoking rates across the country, helping people stop smoking wherever they live and whatever their background.” The UK government recognises that e-cigarettes can play an important role for people trying to quit smoking, however also notes that “e-cigarettes contain nicotine and are not risk-free, but expert reviews from the UK and US have been clear that the regulated e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking.”
PMI has agreed with these statements although it believes that smoke-free products must remain available through different channels. “Whilst PMI does not believe that smoke-free products should be sold exclusively in pharmacies, because access through a wide range of regulated channels is critical to adoption, the company welcomes a simplified, medicinal route implemented in addition to other comprehensive regulatory and supply measures to accelerate adoption of smoke-free products,” the press release states.
“The UK is a global leader in medicine, science and public health. Expert scientific reviews in the UK and US are clear that smoke-free alternatives—such as e-cigarettes—offer adults who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes a better alternative. We welcome the UK government’s continued recognition that regulated e-cigarettes and other inhaled nicotine-containing products, while not risk-free, are less harmful than smoking and can significantly benefit public health,” said Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs at PMI.